Knox Mountain Hillclimb peaks car enthusiast interest for its 61st annual race

There may be nothing better than the smell of burnt rubber in the morning - unless it’s two days worth of it over the May long weekend.

The Leavitt Machinery’s Knox Mountain Hillclimb is returning for its 61st annual event and promises another year of red-lining, tire-smoking, gear-slamming uphill racing as the longest annual paved Hillclimb in North America.

The track generally attracts competitors from B.C., Alberta and Washington State, but racers have been known to travel from countries as far as Australia to conquer the mountain.

This year, 56 competitors will throttle up the 3.5-kilometre road ascending 800-feet up Knox Mountain hoping to climb their way to the top of the podium for the title of King of the Hill or Queen of the Hill - maybe even beat John Haftner's record of one-minute, 37 seconds set in 2007.

Racers are also hoping to earn racing points for B.C. Time Attack which are put towards the Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs (CACC) point system.

Bryan Fulton, Chief Organizer of Knox Mountain Hillclimb, has been involved with the event for nearly 15 years, with 10 years as an organizer under his seatbelt.

Fulton explains that with racers journeying from across the world - introducing their own taste and style - it provides a perfect mixture of four-wheeled behemoths to spark any gearhead's interest.

"There's always interesting cars here because people who are interested in cars usually have a specific area [that they're interested in],” said Fulton.

“We have everything from vintage British sports cars to American muscle cars to purpose-built hill climb cars to Formula Ford cars so there's quite a range of cars, something for everyone."

The Mountain has been closed to pedestrians to accommodate for the two-day race event which will fill up the Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend. It will continue at 9 a.m. tomorrow until approximately 5 p.m. at Knox Mountain Park. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $20 a day or $25 or the weekend.